Targa Tasmania Special
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Meetings : 4th Tuesday of Jan to Nov from 7:30 pm Denistone Sports Club 59 Chatham Road West Ryde May 2009 Targa Tasmania Special IN THIS ISSUE Ms Pres Says - A Targa Tasmania Special - One for the Ladies - The Official Organ of the Classic Rally Club Inc (Affiliated with CAMS) Postal Address: The Secretary, P.O. Box 2044, North Parramatta NSW 1750 Please make phone calls before 9.00 pm Deadline for next Newsletter - Friday 12 June 2009 The opinions and advice provided in this newsletter do not necessarily represent those of the Classic Rally Club Inc and its officers. No responsibility will be accepted for the opinions, advice and directions contained in this newsletter. Readers should rely on their own enquiries and make their own decisions. www.classicrallyclub.com.au Page 2 Rally Directions - May 2009 Ms Pres Says - or in Reality, a report from CRC on Targa Tasmania I’m afraid with the early deadline for the but there may have been more trouble, as magazine this month, we haven’t had a they withdrew from the last two legs. great deal happening and I will be filling most of this page and the next couple with news from our members who competed in Targa. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to be at the last meeting but I had several reports that Bruce Garland’s presentation was well worth listening to. So sorry I missed it. Coming up this weekend (as you read this) we see the return of the AROCA Tour d’Corse. Tony Wise tells me they have a great field lined up, so fingers crossed it all goes well and that the weather gods are smiling on the Southern Highlands. Three weeks later, Ian & Wendy Gibbs will be having a second run of the Highland Fling. I’m assured it will be less ‘challenging’ than last year. Get your entries for this one-dayer in now!! Only two weeks later – can I now have an apology from those whingers who said there was nothing on the calendar – it will be time for June Christmas in the Blue Mountains. Brian Madigan is waiting for your phone call. Then it will only be three weeks till the Mountain Rally. Suddenly, it’s all go! Car No 244-1961 Volvo P544-Early Classic Paul Batten & Mike Batten Now on to a report on Targa. Paul & Mike had an absolute blinder, winning the The event ran for five full days using 34 closed road handicapped Early Classic category by a margin of stages, preceded by a prologue on the Tuesday, 9 minutes 46 seconds from the 2nd placed Jensen when entrants are seeded. CV8. In outright Classic, where they were up against cars up to 1990, they came a mighty 5th place, only 17 minutes behind three times winner, Rex Broadbent in a Porsche 911 Carrera RS! Needless to say, when I ran across the Batten team that night at dinner, there were grins from ear to ear. Car No 208-1958 Austin Healey Sprite-Early Classic Peter Smith & Ashley Smith Peter & Ashley were running well – in the top half of Early Classic. I heard they had a broken brake line www.classicrallyclub.com.au Page 3 Rally Directions - May 2009 Car No 412 -1971 Renault Alpine – Early Classic Ernst Luthi & Sonja Luthi Sadly, after all the time spent on the restoration and preparation of the gorgeous Alpine, it wasn’t quite ready for Targa. Ernst & Sonja spent the week on the sideline! You’ll notice that the photo above is one taken in the garage, rather than the more exciting action shots of others. We’re now waiting for the action in 2010. Car No 679-1979 Ferrari 308 GTB-Late Classic David Gilliver & Nigel Shellshear Nigel’s always smiling when you come across him on a tarmac rally – probably has something to do with the fact that he has a steady stream of Ferrari owners, who let him drive their cars! They were running 10th out of 52 in Late Classic till the Queenstown stage brought them unstuck. The result is below. Nigel wasn’t driving........... Amazingly, they have a contact with six right hand front quarters of a 308, so it won’t be off the road for long. Car No 510-1974 Porsche 911-Late Classic Wayne Gerlach & Dianne Gerlach The Gerlachs were running well and in the top half nd of Late Classic till the 2 last stage of Leg 4, when Unbelievably, they got the car out, removed the front a clutch cable let them down. Unfortunately the right right quarter and drove it through to Hobart, where spare wasn’t in the box and they had to withdraw and they were able to cross the finish line in time and miss the final nail-biting drive down the west coast of receive their ‘Finishers’ Medals. It may have been a Tassie. It was probably their best result yet until fate mashed Ferrari but they were still smiling. intervened. www.classicrallyclub.com.au Page 4 Rally Directions - May 2009 of Leg 3. Unfortunately, a blown engine at the end of Leg 4 meant an untimely end to their event. Car No 703-1985 Jaguar XJ S HE-Late Classic Geoff Bott & Brian Foster Car 703 was again raising money for the research team of the Oncology Children’s Foundation at Car 989-2005 Mitsubish Lancer Evo IX-Modern Westmead Hospital. I don’t know how much they Dominic Votano & Kim Votano raised but judging by the number of sponsors’ names Dominic & Kim were another Rookie Rally team all over the car, it must have been quite a lot. I’m from ’08. They got as far as the start of the 2009 also presuming they auctioned off the bonnet again Prologue but sadly no further. Electrical issues lead at the presentation lunch. People with a couple of to their demise but I’m sure the Tasmanian wineries, drinks under their belt always seem to be particularly gourmet delis and restaurants benefited! generous. They drove a careful event and managed to keep the big cat on the road (most of the time) and running all The scene inside the Silverdome in Launceston the way to the finish. Car 703 was also being tracked – the overnight parc ferme for all 250 odd Targa ‘real time’ by Aerotrac, along with Rex Broadbent, competitors – was quite a sight. It was also quite JasonWhite, Ray Vandersee and Jim Richards. It was a week for the many CRC competitors and nine extraordinary to hear the news that Gentleman Jim officials involved! had crashed the 911 and lost his chance to take the Carol Both, Alan Watson, Tony Shepherd and Peter top podium place for the 9th time. His navigator, Barry Grant formed the ‘official’ CRC Timing team. Simon Oliver came into HQ with the withdrawal form and Duff and his mate from WA helped make up another. said “I bet you never thought you’d see this”. It seems I received glowing reports on them all. Westie and no one is bullet proof – not even Gentleman Jim. Tony Pennell were out on the stages and Jo Vettoretti and I did our usual CRO thing. Time to start looking for cheap flights for April 2010........... Car 506-1975 Toyota Celica 1600 GT-Late Classic Kerry Smith & David Kirkby Kerry & David entered the two day Rookie Rally last year – a bit of a tempter for the real thing. They obviously had a ball, because they came back for the full event in 2009. They were running well in the little Celica until they dropped the exhaust. An emergency fix with farmer’s binding wire and a trip to Burnie to get it welded saw them way behind the field at the end www.classicrallyclub.com.au Page 5 Rally Directions - May 2009 Short Cuts WEDDING CARS A TIMELY REMINDER Although entries for the Jaguar Mountain If anyone owns a cream Jag or vintage Rally don’t close until 16th June, it is filling car and is interested in transporting a FAST. Our usual CRC convention (yes, bride and bridesmaids on 31st October we do it too) of not entering an event until 2009 between the Minnamurra Rainforest we finish the preceding one, may back and Kiama, please contact Jane Hadley fire this time. Don’t forget the Mountain ([email protected]). They would Rally is on the CRC Point Score and does be required for approximately 3 hours. contain navigation, at Pre Apprentice level, in the Challenge category, along FROM LUI - AN ADDITION TO MS PRES with all the trivia and fun that has made Apologies to Robert Gambino, driving a 1976 this event so popular with ‘grass roots’ Ferrari 308 GTB in Late Classic. Robert and his co- rally types. At the time of writing, there driver Matthew Reid disappeared from the results was only a handful of rooms left at the after Leg 2 – cause unknown. Zig Zag Motel for the optional Friday night accommodation. Go to the club web site for Regs. & entries. NOTE: Would representatives from other marque clubs please advise their members. M y s t e r y Member Above is a photo sent in by Jeff West while visiting Tasmania for If you’ve got any newsy snippets about CRC members or classic rallying please email the the Targa Tasmania - CRCers Editor support local economy www.classicrallyclub.com.au Page 6 Rally Directions - May 2009 Drive It Like You Stole It By Geoff Bott Was the advice from some when we entered the 2009 to push us out.